( cxli ) 



on the wing," while another £ of Nov. 20, 1917, and a <$ 

 I), si mills of Dec. 23 bear no special note, but are the specimens 

 referred to in the label of the Pseudobracon. 



A smaller Dirphya (Nitocris), of still greater interest, was 

 also included as a Lycoid by Dr. Marshall, and represented 

 as Nitocris sp. in his fig. 28. It appears to be still undescribed, 

 although specimens from Damaraland, Nyasaland, and Umtali 

 exist in the British Museum. A J 1 of Dec. 17 bears the note 

 " Caught on wing as a Braconid," and a 2 of Dec. 24, with 

 '" Completely deceived me. Caught as a Braconid on wing,'' 

 is probably the specimen referred to in Capt. Carpenter's letter 

 of Jan. 1, 1918 (p. cxxxviii). The former specimen set with 

 expanded wings shows that the distal black and basal pale 

 orange-ochreous area of the elytra are continued on to the 

 functional wings, which therefore bear a pattern. This is 

 very rare in beetles, and Dr. Gahan and Dr. Marshall are as 

 sure as it is possible to be without making a special study 

 of the point that all the African Lycidae of this combination 

 have uniform, dark lower wings. The appearance is clearly 

 mimetic of Braconidae during flight, and affords the strongest 

 confirmation of Capt. Carpenter's conclusions, with which 

 Dr. Marshall tells me that he entirely agrees. 



Since the above paragraph was written a specimen of each 

 of the larger Dirphyas, nigricornis and si mills, has been set 

 with expanded wings, showing that in these too the elytral 

 pattern is continued on to the functional wings. Further- 

 more, there were marked differences between the concealed 

 patterns of the two specimens which may be characteristic 

 of the species. 



The most perfect models for the small Dirphya are doubt- 

 less Bracons with patterns like those shown on figs. 44-46 of 

 Dr. Marshall's pi. xviii, and especially the two smaller forms 

 represented in figs. 47 and 48. None of these were sent by 

 Capt. Carpenter — although, as already mentioned, the Pseudo- 

 bracon possesses a similar pattern — but he included a Braconid 

 of the genus Glyptomorpha, Dec. 31, with a pattern like that 

 of the Braconid and Ichneumonid represented by Dr. Marshall 

 in figs. 59-61; also another smaller Braconid of the genus 

 Merinotus, Dec 17. with a less emphasised form of the same 



